Academy (Konoha)
The 'Academy '(Literally meaning "Ninja School") is a huge building in Konohagakure located directly at the base of the Hokage Mountain. It is where prospective ninja are trained and where official ninja receive their assignments. It was founded by the Second Hokage out of military necessity. Appearance The Academy is quite large and is comprised of several buildings which were erected over time. The building can be identified by the tree in front of it which has a swing on it and more so, by the giant sign with the kanji for 'Fire '''on it. Classrooms in the Academy are large and have high ceilings, based on a theory that larger classrooms lead to expansive education, expanding even to the blackboard itself. In front of the blackboard is a podium, situated far from the students' desks and put in a position where the teacher can view everyone at once. Administrative Division Along with being a school, it is also the area where the Hokage's office is located, which is where missions are dispatched and the day-to-day running of the village takes place. The Hokage's office is a large, somewhat oval room usually filled with stacks of unfinished paperwork. Behind the Hokage's desk is a large window through which the Hokage can survey the entire village. On the desk itself is a stylised kanji for shadow (''kage) followed by the symbol of the village. There is also the Mission Assignment Desk where missions are usually dispensed to shinobi. In the anime, the Jonin Standby Station is located on the compound. Academic Division Admission Requirements #Love the village and hope to help preserve peace and prosperity. #Have a mind that will not yield, able to endure hard training and work. #Be healthy in mind and body. If the above conditions are met, admission to the Academy will be granted. Curriculum As with any school, students are taught a core curriculum of reading, writing, mathematics, science, geography, etc. These lessons are typically framed in a ninja-context, and in fact are learned at all in order to facilitate later instruction in tactics and strategy. Students learn the Shinobi Rules, how to strengthen their minds and bodies, and receive special lectures from veteran shinobi. They are taken through the handling of ninja weapons and tools, like shurikan and kunai, learning how to throw and wield them through target practice, as well as instructed on the basics of trap-setting. Academy students are also taught about chakra and how to use it, hand seals. Shinobi classes can be broken into the basic levels of: *Taijutsu classes serve as the Ninja Academy's equivalent of physical education. In taijutsu class, students are engaged in physical activities to help train their bodies and develop their stamina. Sparring is common. *Ninjutsu classes provide the bulk of what potential ninja learn at the Academy. Students are taught about chakra, how to manipulate it and use hand seals, and ultimately how to use techniques such as the Transformation Technique and the Clone Technique. *Genjutsu classes are focused less on how to create illusions and more on how they work. Students are taught how to determine if they are trapped in a genjutsu, and then how to release themselves from it. Girls must attend kumoichi classes, where they are taught about other cultures and how skills such as flower arranging will help them to blend in during an infiltration mission. Graduation Graduating from the Academy usually consists of taking both a written exam and a practical exam, administered by a chunin instructor, to earn enough marks to pass. Upon graduating, students receive a forehead protector, proof of their achievement. Graduating students are then separated into squads of three genin and assigned to a jonin-sensei to instruct them further. At this point, they will be tested once again by their jonin teacher to assess whether they would be able to handle the demands that will be made of them as ninja (i.e. the dynamics of teamwork). The Sannin and members of Team 7 were given the bell test to see if they could make the cut; it is unknown if the rest of the would-be teams in Konoha use the same test. According to Kakashi, there is a 66% chance of failure, since only nine of the twenty-seven graduates of his time of testing would be allowed to pass this secondary test. Students who don't pass the initial graduation tests or who are failed by their jonin-sensei may either be sent back to the Academy or, if their jonin believes them to be unsatisfactory, they can be dropped from the program entirely. It is not necessary for students to master all the lesson they are taught in the Academy to pass. Naruto Uzumaki could not perform the E-rank Clone Technique, but could effortlessly perform the B-rank Shadow Clone Technique, allowing him to graduate. Rock Lee lacked the aptitude for ninjutsu and genjutsu, but managed to get by with his taijutsu skills. Category:Locations